Mariani recovering mentally, physically

One day, wide receiver Marc Mariani’s left leg feels good and he’s confident he’s made great strides on his comeback trail.

The next day he feels soreness, a reminder he’s still less than a year from a horrific broken leg last year in a preseason game.

Mariani sat out practice on Sunday, but hopes to return Tuesday after the team’s day off.

“There’s some stuff that isn’t quite there yet, and I just have to keep working on it,” Mariani said. “This is something that definitely will never feel exactly the way it used to, but that is not meaning I won’t be as productive or fast, so I am just feeling my way through it.”

Mariani spent the 2012 season on injured reserve and returned for offseason workouts, but he admitted he’s still recovering mentally as well as physically.

After he dropped a pass on Saturday — his second drop in as many days — veteran wide receiver Nate Washington approached him with words of support.

“No one is ever going to be harder on me than I am,” Mariani said. “Dropping a ball is obviously the most frustrating thing for a wide receiver, and I don’t take it so well. Nate’s words pay off for me in a situation like that. … I don’t want to say I am pressing, it’s just I know I have to take advantage of every opportunity. When the ball comes to you, you have to make a play. And when it doesn’t work out that way, it bothers me.”